Electric street-car indicator



f .3 II \QETIIIII n; z Za- G. W. BRIGGS.

ELECTRIC STREET CAR INDICATOR.

APPLICATION men 001.3, 1916.

1,323,672. I Patented Dec. 2,1919.

I *n 2% w Z5 I I5 -1 v, ZZ Z6 l "f-* ,I M J I IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII $36 Z7 I UNITED STA GEORGE W. BRIGGS, OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

ntncrnro STREET-CAR rnnrcnron.

Specification of Letters Patent. v Patented Dec. 2, 1919.

Application filed October 3, 1916. Serial No. 123,568.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, GE RGE BRIGGS, a citizen of the United States, residing at St.

Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and Street-Car. Indicators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

V, exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relatesto new and useful improvements in anielectric street car indicator andhas for one of its objects, the pro vision of a device of this character, which shall be simple, durable and efficient, and which may be manufactured and sold at a comparatively low cost.

Another object of this invention is to provide a casing secured within a car and having a window therein and a pair of rollers on which is mounted an apron carrying or bearing the names of streets or stations which appear along the path of travel of the car and the name of street or station being approached by the caris adapted to be brought in rear of the window, whereby passengers upon the car may determine the street or station being approached.

'A further object of this invention is to provide a pawl and ratchet mechanismattached to one of the rollers, whereby the rollers may be rotated to cause .the apron to move, bringing the name of the station or street in new 1n rear of the wlndow upon approach of the street or station by the car.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of an automatic electrical operated means attached to the pawl and} ratchet mechanism and adapted to operate the pawl and ratchet mechanism upon approach of each street or station.

With these and other objects in view as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed. v

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which: V

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an electric street car indicator, constructed in accordance with my invention,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of trolley poles used in connection with the indicator, and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 8-3 of Fig. 1. t

Referringin detail to the drawing, the numeral lindicates a' casing having an opening 2 at one end thereof which is closed by a glass plate 3 providing a window. Journale d'in each end of the casing 1 are shafts 4: and 5 on which are mounted rollers 6 and 7. Secured upon the rollers 6 and 7 is an apron 8 having printed or otherwise applied thereon names of stations or streets occurring along the line of travel or a car. The

apron is wound from the roller 7 and upon theroller 6 by means which-will be hereinafter more fullydescribed. 'Theapron 8 is first rolled upon the roller 7 by means of a crank 10 upon the shaft 5. Before the apron passes from the roller 7 onto the roller 6, it is guided rear of the window by means of a pair of relatively spaced guide rollers 11.

An operating lever 12 is journaled on the shaft 1 and depends downwardly through an-elongated slot 13 in the casing and has its lower end provided with an elongated slot 14. A dog 15 is pivoted to the lever 12 and is normally held in an engagement with a ratchet wheel 16 by means of a spring 17. The ratchet wheel 16 is keyed or otherwise secured to the shaft 4 for rotating the roller 6 to Wind the apron thereon. A suitable bracket 17 is located adjacent the casing and upon the under side thereof and has mounted thereon a solenoid 18. One end of the bracket 17 is bent at right angles and apertured to receive an arm 19 which is pivoted to the elongated slot 1 1 of the operating lever 12. The arm 19 has secured to the free end thereof an armature plate 20 which is adapted to be attracted by the solenoid 18 when energized to move the arm 19 in the direction of the solenoid to rock the operating lever 12 which rotates one of the rollers, causing the apron to wind thereon and bring the next adjacent name of station or street in the rear of the window upon the car appreaching the corresponding street or station. A coil spring 21 is mounted on the arm 19 for normally returning same to its normal position after the armature plate 20 has been released by the solenoid 18.

In applying this invention to a street car or the like, the casing is secured within the car in any suitable manner and has the bracket 17 located adjacent thereto. The

7 contacts" 24 located upon the trolley wire 25,

the solenoid 18 is energized attracting the armature'plate' 20 causing the air-111 19 to rock the operating lever 12 which in turn rotates the roller 6, causing the apron 8 to, 7 wind thereon and bring the name of the station or street in view through the window of the street or station whichis being approached. r

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it

will be understood that minor changes in constructmn, comb nation and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having 'thus described my invention, what I claim is A street indicator including a casing having rollers journaled therein supporting an apron, a lever pivotally mounted and ex- I tendin throu 'h the casin a awl and c b v 237 ratchet mechanism associated with the lever and one of the rollers, a bracket located ad jacent the casingand having one end apertured and disposed 'atiright angles thereto, an arm slidable in the apertured end'of said bracket and pivoted. to'the lever, an electri-Y cal means carried by the bracket for operating the arm in one direction, a pin se cured to the, arm, and a spring interposed between the apertur ed end of the bracketj and said pin for returning the lever to its initial position. a i H e r. y In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of twowltnesses.

WVitnes'ses enonenw isaieesh I FRANK H; Coo ers, J. M. D I L. 

